Terra Nullius
by Dusk Dreaming
Summary: Terra was chosen to serve the Light, but his heart is filled with darkness and emptiness. Does he have what it takes to be a Keyblade Master? As he travels from world to world seeking answers, who is the mysterious girl trailing him like a shadow?
1. The Girl with Sand Fever

Between the worlds, there is nothing but darkness. Darkness so heavy that it consumes everything it touches. Darkness so intense that it corrupts every soul it meets.

The most frightening thing about the darkness is that it lives inside you. It's part of who you are… You need it to survive, like water or oxygen. You drink it in every day, knowing that you can't live without it. But there's always the fear that one day, it will escape your control…

_I failed. I'm a failure. Aqua showed the Mark of Mastery and I didn't. I will never be a Keyblade Master._

Terra sat in a patch of burning sand, hunched over beneath the midday sun. Dunes spread out in every direction, shimmering in the heat. To the north, in the far distance, a range of ice-capped mountains reared into the sky. In his mind, he replayed the events of the Exam over and over again. Why had he been so weak? Why was Aqua stronger than him? Damn her!

He slammed his fist into the hot sand, frustrated.

He didn't know what world he was in now. Not being a master, he was supposed to stick to the safe worlds Master Eraqus had chosen for him. A thousand times he'd been warned of the unimaginable horrors lurking in worlds unknown. Yet today he'd been so desperate to get away from facing his friends that he'd torn a rift into an alien world and entered it recklessly. Who cared if he died? What did it matter now that he was a failure? And what lurking terrors could be worse than his own shame?

"Poor little boy." The voice was low, sensuous, electrifying.

Terra's head jerked up. A girl stood a little way from him. An instant later, he saw the keyblade in her hand.

He leapt to his feet.

"Who - who are you?" he asked.

She laughed and tossed her head, black curls rippling down the nape of her neck.

"Poor Terra. He has so many questions, but Eraqus just doesn't trust him enough to give him the answers. Sad, lonely little boy."

Fear and anger burned in the pit of Terra's stomach. Whoever this girl was, she knew too much about him.

"How do you know my name?" Terra's keyblade coalesced in his hand in a blaze of light.

"Is that supposed to scare me?" she asked. "I have one too. And unlike you, I understand what I'm holding."

"Tell me who you are!" Terra raised the keyblade and pointed it at her.

She shook her head.

"Not yet."

She moved towards him with slow, self-assured grace. He tensed and prepared to parry an attack. She paused and put her hands on her hips, her head tilting playfully to one side as she looked him up and down.

"Tell you what, Terra. If you can beat me in a battle, I'll tell you anything you want. Deal?"

"No thanks. I only fight two kinds of battle. Against friends and against enemies. And I don't know what you are." He turned and walked away.

"Suit yourself," she called after him. "We'll meet again."

_I know we will. Whoever you are, you didn't find me just to play games. Next time we meet, I'll be expecting you. And I'll find out who you are._

At the moment he had no idea who the girl might be. As far as he knew, there were only two current Keyblade Masters. Master Eraqus, Master Xehanort... and now Aqua, of course. He'd almost forgotten her. That made _three_ Masters and two students. There were no other Keybearers he knew of.

Who was that girl? And how did she know his name? It was definitely suspicious. The cautious thing to do would be to report to Master Eraqus, but the thought of facing Eraqus now filled Terra with shame and bitterness. Eraqus had thought Terra too weak to be a Master. Besides, how pathetic would it be to run crying to Eraqus over every little problem? Terra could deal with this himself. He would find out who the girl was, and where the Unversed were coming from, and along the way he would prove that he had the Mark of Mastery.

A faint cry jolted him out of his reverie. Almost before realising it, he found himself running in the direction of the sound, his feet sinking into the soft sand and throwing up clouds of dust with every step. Half a minute later, he crested the top of a tall dune and stared down at the source of the noise.

A young woman in flowing white garb was sprawled on her back, struggling feebly in the sand. She was surrounded by half-a-dozen squat, ugly creatures. They were humanoid, each standing half as tall as a man, with webbed fingers and toes, dark pinkish scaly skin and a crest-like fin atop their heads.

"No!" Terra roared, rushing down the curve of the dune. He was on the first monster almost before it had time to turn. He swung his keyblade hard, hacking into its neck, sending its head flying off in a spray of greenish blood. He powered past the second one, tearing its belly open, its bowels tumbling out onto the hot sand. One grabbed him by the leg, but he drew his keyblade back and plunged it into the creature's heart; as the shaft slid all the way through the creature's chest, its limbs spasmed and flopped jerkily. Terra pulled the keyblade out, ripping out a chunk of green-grey flesh and blood as he did so, spun around and brought the weapon down on another monster's head, smashing its skull open with a sickening crunching noise. The fifth was dispatched with a flurry of lightning-fast strikes. Terra paused, catching his breath as he turned to face the sixth and last.

Before either of them could move, the creature jerked and a grey-feathered steel bolt appeared in its chest. The monster tottered on its legs for a second or two before collapsing to the ground.

Terra turned and saw that the young woman on the sand had raised herself just long enough to aim a bow. Spent by her effort, she had fallen back into a supine position.

Hurrying to her side, Terra knelt beside her and cradled her head in his arms. Her pale skin was very flushed, and burning hot to the touch. Sweat drenched her dark blonde hair and ran in rivulets down her body. Her breathing was fast and laboured, her eyes glazed. Terra had seen these symptoms before, in worlds with hot climates like this one. She was suffering from heatstroke.

Taking his water bottle from his pack, he held it to her lips and let a few drops trickle into her mouth. Her lips pressed together and her tongue darted out. Her head moved from side to side and her eyelids fluttered open. She looked at Terra with unfocussed dark eyes.

"Cecil," she murmured.

Terra shook his head.

"My name is Terra. Don't worry. You're safe now."

"Cecil… please… Cecil…"

Her eyes closed again, her body slumping into a faint.

Terra kneeled for half a minute, planning his next course of action. Ideally he should get her into a cool place and not move her until nightfall, but that wasn't an option out here. If more monsters attacked, he would be too distracted fighting them to keep an eye on the girl. Maybe she would get hurt.

He summoned his keyblade glider and loaded the girl onto it before gently rising into the air. In the sky, his hopes were answered with the sight of a town in the distance. He would take the young woman there and hopefully find someone helpful to look after her, maybe even this "Cecil" she had mentioned.

Before leaving, with some embarrassment, he loosened the woman's clothes and applied water to her skin. His cheeks flushed whenever his fingers brushed against the soft curves of her body, and when he was finished, he removed his hands as quickly as though she had burned him. Normally he wouldn't have touched her at all, but this time he thought that soothing her heatstroke was more urgent than preserving her modesty.

They sped through the air in a north-easterly direction, towards the town he had spied in the distance. Terra watched the lines and curves of the desert scrolling beneath them, enjoying its bleak beauty. There was something about deserts that captivated him, the emptiness and the open space. They gave him a sense of peace. There was danger, though, lurking beneath the sand. He looked over his shoulder at the woman tied behind him.

The creatures that had attacked her belonged to this world. There had been no otherworldly energy around them, and when struck down they had shed flesh and blood, not darkness. So they were natives of this desert. Why had this woman been travelling by herself in such a dangerous place? She had been armed with a bow, but she didn't have any supplies, neither food nor water. And she'd been out in the open at midday when the sun was at its highest. Either she was not used to this terrain, or she was desperate. Why had she come out here, risking her life?

_Cecil… please… Cecil…_

Who was Cecil? Was she running away from him, or looking for him? If she was looking for him, and risking her life to do so, she must have a good reason. Was he her lover, father, son, brother? Someone she loved? Love could make people do strange things, endangering their own lives for the sake of others. Terra had heard that, though he'd never experienced it himself. He didn't have any strong emotional bonds. Sure, he was friends with Ventus and Terra, but the most important thing in his life was duty. Duty to serve his master, preserve the balance and protect the world order. That was his duty, the one thing in his life that gave him meaning and purpose.

And now he had failed to show the Mark of Mastery. So he had failed in his duty. Where did that leave him, then? He was worthless, of no use.

About half a mile from the town's outskirts, Terra landed and dismissed his glider, not wanting to attract too much attention. He lifted the girl in his arms and walked the rest of the way.

The town was built around an oasis. Solid stone buildings stood in the town centre, while tents of hide and cloth had been pitched around the central region, stretching out in a circle with a radius of several miles. As Terra made his way through the town's narrow lanes, ragged children swarmed around him.

"Where you from?"

"What's wrong with her?"

"Let's see your sword."

"Could you tell me where the nearest inn is?" Terra asked.

"Got any _gil_?" one of the children shot back.

The word "gil" wasn't familiar to Terra. It was probably some kind of local currency.

"No, I don't have any _gil_. But this girl is very sick. I need to get her to an inn."

"What's wrong with her?"

"She was in the desert…"

"Eee! Desert fever, desert fever!"

Squealing, the children scattered, vanishing among the twists and turns of the town's pathways as quickly as they'd come.

Terra trudged on through the sandy streets, looking in vain for a friendly face. Glinting eyes watched him from within the cool darkness of tents, but when he turned in their direction, the tent flaps were firmly drawn closed. Beggars and old people with worn, weather-beaten faces glared at him suspiciously from where they sat on the lanes' edges. They, too, were unlikely to help him unless he had _gil _to pay_._

Eventually he found an inn, but the innkeeper took one look at the young woman and demanded that Terra leave at once.

"Get her out of here! She's got desert fever. You want all my guests to leave? No, you can't have any water! Get out! And give it up, boy, that girl will sleep for ever. You're not from around here, so you probably don't know. Not even Sage Tellah can cure desert fever, not without sand pearls!"

Terra slowly walked away from the inn, unsure of what to do. He had nowhere to go and his arms were starting to ache from carrying the woman around. Master Eraqus would tell him to leave her here. He had already saved her from the monsters and brought her to a town. That in itself was probably too much interference in this world's timeline. How many times had Master Eraqus told him? Events were linked together in ways far too complex to understand. Even stepping on an ant in an alien world could alter its future in unimaginable ways.

"Boy." A tent flap opened and a withered old woman stepped out, beckoning to Terra. "You're the one whose friend has desert fever?"

"Yes," Terra replied. "I'm sorry, how do you -"

"Never mind that! Bring her in, bring her in!" The woman beckoned even more urgently. "Get her out of the sun!"

Terra hesitated.

"Aren't you afraid of catching it?" he asked.

"No, of course not! I've had it before and so's the old man! Now are you going to stand there jabbering all day or come in? Do you want her to die, boy?"

That got Terra moving. The interior of the tent was cool, gloomy and sparsely furnished. Obviously the people who lived here were not wealthy. There were a couple of woven mats on the floor, a few roughly hewn tables and chairs and a single small cot, as well as an old man. Terra helped the girl onto the cot. Then the old woman shooed the two men outside so she could undress the girl and bathe her with cool water.

"Got a name?" the old man said, as he and Terra stood out in the heat.

"Terra. Thank you for helping her. I didn't know what to do."

"No need for thanks. It's what any decent person'd do. Kaipo used to be famous for its hospitality. 'Course, these days folks are too scared of strangers. And you can't hardly blame 'em, what with monsters and dark magic and Baron on the move, and goings-on o' that nature."

"This town is called Kaipo?"

"Yup. And you obviously ain't from 'round these parts."

"No. I'm from… I'm from a town very, very far away."

"Not _Baron?_" The old man's voice grew fierce, and his bushy white eyebrows pinched into a frown.

"No. I don't even know where Baron is."

"Lucky you. Anyhow, I knew you weren't from Baron. You seem like a decent chap. And besides, you don't speak like them. Your accent is different. I've never heard it before. Still, you can't be too careful these days. Some of the things that go on, even in a place like this, in the middle of nowhere… I heard that Prince Edward of Damcyan used to dress up as a common bard and visit Kaipo. Now can you imagine that?" The old man looked at Terra triumphantly.

Terra had no idea who Prince Edward of Damcyan was, but he could tell he was supposed to be impressed.

"Wow," he said. "Could I ask you something? Why is everyone so afraid of sand fever?"

"'Cos if you get it, you fall into a sleep and never wake up, that's why. You just waste away, dreaming until your body starves to death."

"But your wife said that you've both had sand fever before. And you got better."

"We got sand fever a long time ago. In those days, when were young, Damcyan still sold us sand pearls. They were rare and expensive, but you could get your hands on 'em. Sand pearls're the only thing that's good for sand fever. You can't get 'em any more. Damcyan stopped selling."

"Huh." Terra frowned and put a hand to his forehead, fighting a sudden wave of dizziness. "That's weird. I feel -" Another spell of dizziness struck him. Blinking, he realised he had fallen to his knees. He felt sick to his stomach, like he was going to throw up. Gritting his teeth, he tried to stand, but he fell back. Instead of hitting the sandy ground he was expecting, he fell into darkness that swallowed him up…


	2. Dark Dreams & a Dark Knight

**Chapter II:** Dark Dreams & a Dark Knight

_Wavelets burbled as they broke on the golden shores. The cries of seabirds pierced the air, and the stinging salt smell of the ocean blanketed everything. Terra stood poised on a sandbar, feeling the fine grains slide through his toes as he hefted his wooden Keyblade. Aqua stood beside him, threading shells on a leather thong, watching him with that strange faraway expression she sometimes had._

_"Won't you come and collect seashells with me?" she asked._

_"No. I told you, I have to train."_

_ Aqua sighed and lowered her head._

_"I don't understand you sometimes, Terra. You're so desperate to visit other worlds that you can't even see the beauty of this one. Look around you. This is paradise, and all you want to do is escape from it. You're so obsessed with power that you've lost sight of the important things in life."_

_"What does that mean?" _

_Aqua turned a shell over and over in her fingers, shaping it with her magic. In her hands, it looked like a pearly star._

_"Sometimes…," she said, "we don't understand the value of what we have until we lose it."_

_"Huh?"_

_"There are some kinds of power you just don't understand. Until you do, you will never be a Keyblade Master."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_It was no longer Aqua standing beside him, but Ventus, a little blond spiky-haired kid with eyes full of admiration._

_"That's awesome, Terra! I wish I could be just like you when I grow up."_

_"Don't say that!" Terra yelled. "Don't ever say that!"_

_"Wh- why not?"_

_"You don't want to be like me."_

_"What're you talking about? Of course I want to be like you."_

_"You don't, Ventus. Trust me. Just be yourself. Your heart is so pure and full of light. Stay that way. Don't ever change. And especially don't become like me."_

_…_

_Remember, my child. Even in the darkest night there is always a light to guide you._

"What? Who's there?"

_Remember, my child. You have your own role to play, your own path to follow. Do not yearn to be like others. To thine own self be true._

"Why? I don't want to be prey for the darkness. I don't want to be myself. I want to be someone else. Someone better."

_Remember, my child. We cannot become better by being other people. We can only become better by being our own true selves. Wind is questing, seeking, fickle. Water is life-giving, nurturing, sheltering. Earth is hard, strong, unyielding. Each element has a part to play. No world can be built from one element alone. Nor can a heart be built from one nature alone. Therefore do not flee the nature of your soul, but embrace it. _

"I don't understand… that's not what Master Eraqus taught us."

_There are some lessons you cannot learn from others. Some truths you can only discover within yourself. Remember, my child. You are your own wisest teacher and your own ablest student. You are your own worst enemy… and your own truest friend. _

"Who are you?"

…

Terra rose from the fog of sleep into a haze of murmuring voices. His eyes slid open. Cool shadows and brown fabric walls. He was inside the tent. The old people. Desert fever. The woman in white.

He rolled over and climbed to his feet. Someone had laid him on a mat. There were people clustered around the woman's cot: the old couple, a green-haired little girl and someone in black armour, kneeling by the cot, reaching for the woman with his hands. An icy sensation gripped Terra's heart.

"No!" he shouted, drawing his keyblade and charging forward. Roughly pushing the old couple aside, he swung his keyblade into the armoured knight's shoulder. The steel absorbed most of the blow, but the knight was pushed back a couple of steps.

"What are you doing?" The knight's voice, muffled, issued from within his helm. He drew a heavy, lethal-looking sword with his right hand and raised a black shield emblazoned with red wings in his left.

"Huh? You're – you're not an Unversed?" Terra had never heard an Unversed speak before. But if the man wasn't an Unversed, why was dark energy radiating from every inch of his armour? Terra could feel the darkness like a blast of heat from an open fireplace. "I don't know who or what you are, but I'm warning you – she's under my protection!"

"I know." The knight sheathed his sword and replaced his shield at his belt. Reaching up with gauntleted hands, he lifted his black helmet. The face beneath was pale and shockingly delicate, almost feminine. He was young, perhaps five years older than Terra. His face was slight but strong, handsome and likeable. Serious dark eyes sat under straight eyebrows. Shoulder-length platinum blonde hair fell in a fine curtain to his shoulders. "I must thank you for looking after Rosa. I understand it was you who found her in the desert and brought her here."

"Rosa? I…" Terra glanced the woman sleeping in the bed. "Her name is Rosa?"

"Yes. And I am Cecil, formerly a knight of Baron and Commander of His Majesty's Red Wings. Rosa and I have been dear friends since childhood. She owes you her life. And I am forever in your debt."

Terra's keyblade dissolved in a storm of light particles.

"I'm sorry," he said. "So you're Cecil. I shouldn't have attacked you. I just assumed… I felt this strong darkness coming from your presence. I thought you were evil."

Cecil's face clouded.

"You were not wrong. I have done many evil things." His eyes flickered to the little green-haired girl and then returned to Terra. "I took up the dark sword at my king's command. Dark knights have an evil reputation, but I believed that my heart was strong enough to withstand the darkness. I believed I could control it. I was wrong." He turned away and knelt beside Rosa's bed. Removing his gauntlets, he lifted her hand and held it tenderly. "Oh, Rosa. How many more will die because of my mistakes?"

Terra saw the anguish etched on Cecil's face. Terra would feel the same way if it were Ventus or Aqua lying there. He wanted to comfort Cecil, but he wasn't good at that sort of thing.

The green-haired girl strode to Cecil's side, her face screwed up like she wanted to cry.

"Stop feeling sorry for yourself!" she shouted at him. "Rosa's not even dead. You can still save her. Let's go get the sand pearl!"

Cecil nodded, gently replaced Rosa's hand, whispered something to her and rose to his feet.

"You are right. Indulging in self-pity will help no one." Cecil turned to the old couple. "I apologise for imposing on your hospitality, Sir, Madam. I would be forever grateful if you would let her stay here until I return with the sand pearl."

The old woman said, "'Course we'll keep her. But if you're going to Damcyan, you'll have to go through the underwater cavern. I hope your dark sword is as powerful as they say, or else she might be waiting for you forever."

Cecil's eyes hardened.

"I will bring back the sand pearl or die trying. I swear it by what little honour I have left."

The old man coughed.

"Never thought I'd have a dark knight from Baron in my own house. Good luck, son."

Cecil turned to Terra, his fair hair rippling down his neck.

"I am loath to ask you for assistance, after all that you have done already. I do not know what dangers lie ahead of us. All I know is that I would be honoured if you would join us."

_What about the world order? I have already interfered too much in this world's timeline. The wise thing to do would be to leave now. _The girl Rosa lay shrouded in her robes. Terra kept picturing Aqua or Ventus lying in her place. His hand went to the Wayfinder he wore around his neck. _Cecil… please… Cecil. She was willing to die to find him. Now he is ready to die for her. Is this love? Is this like the bond I share with Ventus and Aqua? Is this what_ _Aqua meant when she said there were some kinds of power I don't understand?_

"I will go with you," Terra said.

…

They were given a wide berth as they walked the dusty streets of Kaipo. No one wanted to get too close to the dark knight in his sable armour or his two companions. They stopped at several shops to pick up supplies, Cecil and Terra sharing the burden between themselves. The green-headed girl, who was called Rydia, often disappeared from their view. Sometimes they would glimpse her staring at the other children, sometimes they saw her on street corners playing with stones she had found.

Terra asked, "Is Rydia your daughter?" when they had stopped outside a merchant's to pick up potions.

"No," Cecil replied. "She is a Summoner from the village of Mist. The last of her kind. I… found her after her village was destroyed."

Their final stop was on the outskirts of town. Rydia appeared and stood a little way off, playing with the folds of her dress, staring into space.

"There you are, Rydia," said Cecil. "Please don't run off like that. It's not safe for a little girl in a strange town."

"Am I safe with you?" asked Rydia.

Cecil looked pained.

"You have every right to be angry with me. I just want to keep you safe. Will you wait with Terra while I visit this last shop?"

"No!" Rydia scowled, looking away. "I don't like him!"

Cecil gave Terra an exasperated look.

"Please watch her. I'll only be a minute." He disappeared into the shop.

Terra approached Rydia. She backed away from him, eyes wide. He went down on one knee and raised his hands in non-threatening gesture.

"Hey, it's Rydia, right?" he said. "My name is Terra. I know we've only just met, but once you get to know me, I'm a pretty nice guy."

She gave him a hard, suspicious look.

"What are you?" she said accusingly.

"What?"

"What are you? Are you a human? Or a Phantom Beast?"

"Of course I'm a human," Terra said, bemused. "Why would you ask me that? I don't know what a Phantom Beast is, but I'm not one of them."

"A Phantom Beast. An Esper. An Eidolon. They come from the other world."

"What?" Terra gasped.

"They come from the other world. And you, you're not from this world. But you're not from the world of Phantom Beasts either. You're from somewhere different. And you seem like a human. But I don't know what you are."

Terra almost reeled in shock. This girl knew about other worlds! And she knew that he was from one of them!

"How do you know about other worlds?" he asked her, thunderstruck.

"Everyone knows about them. At least in Mist, where I come from. Mummy told me there are other worlds and the Phantom Beasts live in one of them. We're Summoners, so we have a special power to bring Phantom Beasts to this world. They come to help us. Our hearts connect across the worlds. Mummy said…" The girl's eyes filled with tears. "Mummy summoned a Phantom Beast with her heart. But it died, and Mummy's heart died too." Her face crumpled and tears leaked from her eyes. Sobbing, she turned and ran away, her bare feet pattering on the dust.

"Wait!" Terra cried. His mind was still whirling with the shock of all he had learnt. He had never been to a world before where knowledge of outside worlds was common. This girl not only knew about other worlds; it seemed she had the power to bring, or "summon," other beings directly from them! Incredible! What a power, and at such a young age! Even Master Eraqus had never done that. "Slow down!" Terra raced after Rydia and easily caught up to her. "Look, I know you're upset," he began, grabbing at her shoulder, but she whirled, chanted a few words and drew her hand sharply through the air, and a bolt of electricity erupted from her fingertips and leapt at Terra. "Ahh!" he hissed. The lightning seared through him and knocked him back a few paces, sending flashes skidding across his vision. He shook his head, trying to clear his sight, and by the time he had recovered she was ahead of him, running away again.

"Rydia! Come back!" Terra started to chase her once more, but after a few seconds he stopped. There was no point going after her when she was this upset. She would only attack him, and if he tried to stop her he might inadvertently hurt her. He could only hope that after spending some time on her own and calming down, she would return.


	3. The Sandworm

**Chapter III:** The Sandworm

They left Kaipo shortly after sundown. Their guide, a skinny teenaged girl swathed in dull brown rags, assured them that this was the best time of day to travel the desert.

"Sand sahagins and sandworms likes heat and light. They don't move around much at night," she explained. A few golden gil had made her talkative. Her name was Niara. "They can still attack, though, if you surprises 'em by walkin' on top of 'em."

"But you know how to go past them, don't you?" Rydia asked.

"I knows the safe trails. My family's been walkin' the desert for ages. 'Tain't never completely safe, but. Monsters move around and can take you by surprise. Remember, if something attacks, y'all have to handle it. I'm a guide, not a fighter. I suppose I ain't got nothin' to worry about, what with Sir Cecil bein' a dark knight an' all."

"He's good at killing people," said Rydia.

Cecil was silent.

They walked single file across the sand, Niara leading the way, followed by Cecil, Rydia and then Terra. The desert was even more beautiful in darkness. A crystal-clear moon hung in the sky, attended by swarms of stars in alien constellations. There were no clouds. The pale moonlight washed over the dunes, dyeing them with silver and purple shadows. Smooth unbroken sand stretched ahead of them, while behind them a trail of footprints marked their passage.

Terra took a deep breath of cool air. _I wonder what it means that I find things more beautiful in darkness than in light. Nothing good, I'm sure._ The thought reminded Terra of something Cecil had said, and he found himself staring at the back of the knight's long shining hair. Even in the gloom of night, Cecil's armour stood out, blacker than black, as though it was sucking in the colour and light from its surroundings. There was a strong dark energy around Cecil, but he didn't act as though he was corrupted. Terra had only known Cecil a short while, but from what he'd seen so far the dark knight was gentle and soft-spoken. Cecil had said something about trying to control the darkness. _I wonder if he can help me control the darkness in my own heart. The way it came out at the Exam… where did it come from?_

For the next three hours or so, they walked in silence. Niara had warned them not to speak or tread too loudly because the vibrations would travel through the sand and attract monsters. She wouldn't let them light a torch, either. They were headed for the entrance to the underwater cavern which lay in the mountains to the northeast, about an hour's walk in a straight line. Niara didn't take them in a straight line, though. The sand all looked the same to Terra, but their guide led them on a winding, twisting route along a path that only she could see. Sometimes they doubled back, and Terra could have sworn they went past the same spot several times. Gradually, however, the mountains rose higher and higher, coming closer and closer until they were less than half a mile away.

Abruptly, their guide came to a halt.

"What is it?" asked Cecil.

"There's something between us and the cave," Niara said. "I tried to go 'round it, but there's no way."

"What kind of something?" asked Terra.

"Not sure. Maybe a sandworm. A big one."

"We press on," Cecil said. "You may leave us now, Niara. Thank you for your help."

"What about the rest of my gil?"

"Here." Cecil drew a small bag out of his tunic and tossed it to the girl, who snatched it out of midair. She tipped its contents into her palm and counted them. Once she was satisfied, she stuffed the bag into her robes.

"Good luck, y'all." She bowed her head and retreated into the night. Cecil waited for half a minute, by which time Niara had completely disappeared from sight.

"Now," said Cecil, "let us make our preparations for battle. Rydia, stay back. Terra and I will handle this."

"I can help," Rydia said fiercely.

"I know your magic is powerful, but you are still young, and I will never forgive myself if you suffer injury."

Rydia remained still for a few seconds, like she was going to argue. Then she heaved a deep sigh and moved back several paces. Terra couldn't read her expression in the darkness, but he thought she was scowling again.

"What is a sandworm, exactly?" Terra asked, as his keyblade materialised in his hand. The warmth and solidity of its grip reassured him.

Cecil slid his pack off his shoulders and lowered it onto the sand. "What a curious weapon you have there, Terra. I have never seen such a design before. And the way it appears in your hand when you desire – a rare magical artefact, I presume."

"Uh, yeah. They're pretty rare, even where I come from."

"To answer your question, a sandworm is a large beast that makes its home in this desert. I encountered one on my way to Kaipo. It's a fearsome creature, but it I was able to despatch it with several strokes of my sword." Inside the pack, the remainder of Cecil's armour lay covered in cloth. Cecil began unwrapping it piece by piece. "My armour protected me from its blows, but there remains a danger in its sandwave technique. When threatened, the sandworm stirs up a huge wave of dust and batters its enemy. Its aim is to bury its prey beneath tons of sand. You might escape with difficulty, but I would be trapped in my heavy armour, and the sandworm would wait for me to suffocate before making an easy meal of my corpse."

Terra grimaced. "Not a very nice creature."

"No. Still, who are we to judge the sandworm? It's a mindless beast that kills only to eat. We humans are capable of feeling compassion, yet we do worse things to each other for far less reason."

Cecil had a point. Once again Terra thought it was strange that someone with such compassionate thoughts was wielding the power of darkness. "It's going to be hard, fighting in the dark. The moon's barely giving any light at all."

"You could light a torch. I have one in my pack, along with a tinderbox. The guide told us not to make a fire, but as we'll be fighting a sandworm, attracting one is not a concern. Wait until I've got my armour on." Cecil was already wearing his breastplate, and was now lacing on his gauntlets. "Sorry for the delay; in Baron I had a squire to help me dress for combat."

"Here, let me give you a hand." Terra moved beside Cecil and reached out help him with the laces. Terra's fingers touched the black armour. As they did so, a sudden wave of sickness swept through him and a knife of pain sliced at his hands. He grunted in shock. For an instant he saw blood, crimson blood dripping over his clothes and fingers, sticky blood splattered across a blade gripped in his hands. Then he was back in the desert with shadows dancing before his vision and a dull aching in his temples.

Cecil looked Terra in the eyes and backed away. "I'm sorry," he said.

"What… happened?" Terra whispered, blinking in confusion.

"The darkness has touched you before. If I had known, I would not have let you handle my armour." Cecil returned to fastening his gauntlets. "This armour and sword have been worn by generations of dark knights. Legend says they were once owned by a demon, and contain his spirit. They hold a powerful dark energy that gives me great strength, but at a price. I feel that the armour brings out the worst side of my nature. That is why I only wear it during battles."

"You don't seem… evil."

Cecil raised his eyes to meet Terra's gaze again. He had a haunted look. "Do you know why I was exiled from Baron? Because I questioned the king. He ordered me to kill innocent people. And I… I did it. _I _did it. The sword and armour may have influenced me, but _I _made that choice. I am beyond redemption."

Terra was silent for a while. "If that's true, then why wear the armour at all? Why not throw it and the sword away, into the sea, where no one will ever find them again?"

"Because without them I am nothing. Even if I throw them away, my soul is already stained by their power. At least this way, by choosing to wield them, I can keep the power they give me and hopefully use it for something good. It's my small way of trying to undo some of the evil I have done. I will wear the armour and the sword until they claim too much of me. When my soul is too corrupt… I will put an end to them. Or to myself. Whatever is necessary."

There was another silence, longer this time. Then –

"Watch out, Cecil, Terra!" Rydia screamed. The sand rumbled beneath their feet.

"The sandworm!" Cecil cried. "Get a torch! I'll keep it busy."

Terra threw himself beside Cecil's pack and pulled out a torch, a long piece of wood with a bundle of pitch-soaked rags bound to one end. He rummaged in the pockets and found the tinderbox. Bringing the tinderbox to the torch's head, he struck the box three times before finally producing a spark. In that time, a small hill of sand had swollen from the ground before them, as though something huge was moving just under the surface. The torch caught and blazed with warm yellow light just as the sandworm burst out of the ground.

The creature's head was dominated by a large, jagged-edged mouth, filled with rows of dagger-sized teeth that glinted in the torchlight. Its tan, serpentine body was thick as half-a-dozen tree trunks and at least as long as ten men. As the worm faced them, Cecil planted himself firmly in the beast's path. He had lowered his helm and his sword was held before him.

"Keep clear, Rydia!" he shouted, his voice muffled. "It's big!"

_Big enough to crush Rydia if she gets in its way. Big enough to crush us, too._ Terra hesitated. He couldn't fight something like that one-handed. He would have to put the torch down, hopefully somewhere it would stay upright.

The worm raised the front third of its body. Two vents on either side of its mouth shot jets of sand at Cecil, which exploded into clouds of dust on impact, blocking him from sight. Believing Cecil to be blinded, the worm reared back and lunged with lightning speed, launching itself mouth-first into the spot where Cecil had been.

"No!" Terra hurried to block the attack, but the worm reached Cecil first. As it did so, an inhuman screech filled the air. Cecil had thrust his dark sword into the worm's neck, tearing a huge gash in its sandpapery flesh. Thick fluid bled from the wound and splashed onto the sand, black in the moonlight.

Shrieking, the worm retreated and flailed, lashing out with its tail. The thick appendage smashed into Terra with the force of a battering ram, sending him flying. He hit the sand hard and rolled, once, twice, three times, the breath driven out of his body. The keyblade and torch had been flung away. Terra got back on his feet with an effort. He didn't like the sharp, burning pain in his ribs. It felt like something was broken.

"Oh, no," he breathed.

The sandworm was churning the ground, driving up a huge wall of sand with its twisting body. As Terra watched, the worm surfed the sand wave and sent it crashing down on Cecil, burying the dark knight under a sea of grains.

"Cecil!" Terra stuck his hand out, and his keyblade leapt from the patch of sand where it had fallen and flew back to his grip. He raced towards the worm, knowing that every second counted. How long would Cecil last under there? He wouldn't be able to move in his heavy armour. A minute? Two? That didn't give Terra long to finish the worm.

The sandworm was sinking slowly back into the ground now, no doubt looking forward to sitting back and letting Cecil choke. Terra wouldn't let that happen. He aligned his keyblade with the worm's descending body.

_"Sliding Dash!" _Terra blasted from the ground, covering the last twelve feet between him and the worm in an instant, and impaled the creature's left eye on the tip of his keyblade, the weapon sliding in with minimal resistance. The worm's eye burst, releasing a torrent of slime that dribbled down Terra's arm. Screaming, the sandworm tossed its head and threw Terra back to the ground, where he landed on his feet and spun back into a ready stance.

"Come on, big boy," Terra called. The worm was a huge black shadow above him in the dark. There was a sudden hissing noise, and two jets of sand knocked Terra onto his back, the sand cutting his skin so that blood ran down his face and arms. He flipped himself back onto his feet, just in time to block another lunge by the sandworm, beating back its head with his keyblade. It was too damn dark, though, and that was his undoing. He didn't even see the tail until it ploughed into him, crushing him into the ground. His right side went numb under the weight of the tail as it pounded him.

The sandworm's ugly face came into view. Terra took some satisfaction from its ruined left eye and gore-leaking neck as its mouth expanded, revealing its vicious fangs. Before the creature could strike, it shuddered and whined, and Terra felt a blast of cold air. A moment later, a small figure came into his field of vision. It took him a while to recognise it.

"Rydia!" he croaked. "Get away! Dangerous…"

_"Blizzard!" _Blue light glowed around Rydia's body and flickered at her fingertips. As she chanted arcane words, the light flowed between her palms, moulding itself into a spike of ice that glittered like a second moon. _"Blizzard howl and crystal grow, form a lance to pierce my foe!" _At the height of her spell, she flung her hands out, and the spike flew towards the worm. Another surge of chilly air washed over Terra, and he saw the spike of ice rip into the worm's body. Frost spread along the sandworm's skin, growing, thickening, until the whole creature was encased in a shining white coffin. Then Rydia snapped her fingers and the ice shattered. The sandworm deflated, shuddering. Its skin was blue and lifeless, clearly dead. But Rydia had outsmarted herself. The worm's massive body still hung in the air above them, and now it fell, directly over Rydia's head. She screamed.

Terra propelled himself from the sand and tackled her out of the way. The two them fell to the ground and rolled as the tremendous bulk of the worm fell beside them, missing them by inches.

Silence fell. The dust began to settle. Rydia crawled to Terra's side.

"Are you all right?" she said in a soft voice.

"Ugh," Terra groaned, lying on his back. His face and arms were scratched and bleeding, at least one of his ribs was cracked, and his right arm, throbbing with sharp pain, was probably broken. "I've seen way worse. Don't worry. Just see if you can find me a potion."

"I don't know where the pack is."

"Hmm. Problem."

Rydia bent her face close to his arm, staring at him intently. Then she placed her cool little hands on his skin. _"Cure," _she said.

Suddenly, the most wonderful warm feeling spread through Terra's body, soothing his pain. He groaned again, this time with pleasure, as all the aches slowly faded and disappeared, leaving behind a tingling sensation.

"Try sitting up now," Rydia said.

Cautiously, Terra did so. There was no pain, and when he looked down at is body, the cuts in his skin had closed and healed over. He looked at Rydia.

"Your magic is really strong," he said. "Thank you."

Rydia smiled, the first genuine smile he had seen on her face. Then her eyelids drooped and she fell forward, collapsing onto Terra's lap.

"Rydia? Rydia?" Terra turned her over, grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. She had fainted. By the looks of it, she had no injuries, so maybe she was just exhausted from using all that magic. "Oh, no. What about Cecil?"

"What about me?"

A familiar armoured figure stepped into view. Now it was Terra's turn to smile.

"Cecil! You made it. I thought… well, I was worried for a second."

"It'll take more than a little sandworm to put an end to me. Sorry for worrying you. I had some business to take care of."

"Business?" Terra frowned and looked around. His eye was caught by the sandworm's corpse. Someone had butchered it, chopping its body into pieces. "Did you do that?"

"Yes."

"Why? It was already dead."

"Revenge. Come. The cavern's entrance is nearby."

Carrying Rydia in his arms, Terra followed as Cecil led the way.

"Aren't you going to take your armour off?" asked Terra. "The battle's over."

"No. We'll have need of it."

It might have been Terra's imagination or a trick of the moonlight, but it seemed that Cecil's eyes shone redly beneath his helm.


	4. Terra's Nightmare

**Chapter IV:** Terra's Nightmare

Four figures sat in the council chamber of Baron castle.

"Lord Golbez, I beg you to reconsider," said King Baron, a tall man with a noble, bearded face. "The assault on Fabul is too vital to be left in the hands of Scarmiglione."

Golbez's helmeted visage betrayed no hint of feeling. "You served me well in obtaining the Water Crystal, Cagnazzo. It is Scarmiglione's turn to prove his worth. Besides, he will merely be leading the first assault on the castle. Once he has overpowered Fabul's defences, I will arrive to acquire the Crystal personally."

"I thought you intended to lead the assault on Damcyan, my lord," Baigan said.

"I do. Damcyan has no military force to speak of, relying on its isolation for protection. It will not take me long to obtain the Fire Crystal." Golbez raised a hand. "Wait. I sense a presence."

Kain, Baigan and King Baron cast around, looking for the intruder. Sparks of light danced above the council table, flashing and fluorescing. A translucent image appeared, a miniature figure in flowing black, with pale grey skin. Black horns emerged from either side of her head and her bright yellow eyes shone fiercely. She clutched a wooden staff topped with a lime-green stone in her right hand.

"Maleficent," said Golbez. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Maleficent inclined her head. "Good day, Lord Golbez. I have some news that will no doubt interest you."

"Oh?"

"I have learned the location of that dark knight who so vexed you. Cecil, I believe his name was."

Instantly, Kain, Baigan and King Baron became alert.

Golbez did not stir. "How is it you were able to discover his whereabouts? You may be a gifted sorceress, but this is not your world."

"There is someone travelling with Cecil who is also not of this world. He is meddling in your world's timeline, which is apparent to those of us who are attuned to such things." Maleficent's image faded and was replaced by another: a walking dark knight, followed by a young man who carried a little girl in his arms.

Kain slammed his palm onto the table. "Cecil!"

Golbez said, "Where are they?"

"They are in a cave, heading for the castle of Damcyan."

"How convenient. I thank you for this information."

"I should warn you that Cecil's companion is a keyblade wielder by the name of Terra. He is a person of interest to Master Xehanort."

"And to you, I presume?"

"How perceptive of you. Bid your underlings leave. There are things I would discuss with you in private."

Once Kain, Baigan and King Baron had departed, Golbez said, "Well?"

"Master Xehanort has taken a particular interest in Terra and his keyblade. It would be wise to ensure that no harm comes to the boy."

"I will bear that in mind. And yourself? What are you interested in?"

"The girl who travels with them. You told me she is the last surviving summoner from your world. I want her."

"Why? Surely you can perform summoning magic yourself?"

"The spell I am planning requires a great number of very powerful summoners. I would be obliged if you would retrieve her for me."

"Very well. If she is with Cecil when I meet him, I will capture her."

"You have my thanks." Maleficent inclined her head once more and faded from view.

…

"Could we take a break?" asked Terra.

The air inside the cavern was cool and moist, a relief after the parching winds of the desert. The stone floor was treacherously wet and slippery, the tunnels curving and twisting in complicated paths, going over rock and under water, sometimes terminating in dead ends or impossibly steep slopes. Cecil led the way, a lit torch held in his mailed fist. Terra followed him, moving slowly and carefully to keep his footing. He still bore Rydia in his arms, and although she didn't weigh much, his arms were tired from carrying her for so long.

"As you wish. Let us set up camp. I believe it's close to midnight." Cecil found a stretch of ground that was high, flat and dry. He thrust his torch into the sand, spread a blanket on the ground, and stood back as Terra gently lowered Rydia onto it. Then the two men laid down their own sleeping mats and sat beside each other. Cecil removed his helmet and pushed his mane of almost-white hair out of his eyes, and Terra was struck once again by how the dark knight's face could be mistaken for a woman's.

"Here." Cecil passed Terra a couple of hard biscuits. "Soldier's bread. It tastes like old leather, but it never spoils and keeps you going for days."

"Thanks. Lucky we found your pack." Terra bit into one of the biscuits. It was hard and tasteless but not as bad as he'd expected. His stomach growled. He realised that he hadn't eaten a thing since before the Exam. That had been more than half a day ago.

"I hope Rydia wakes soon," said Cecil. "She'll be hungry. You are sure she was uninjured?"

The little girl lay on her side, her shoulders rising and falling with each breath. Terra pulled the blanket around her, covering her body.

"I think so. I didn't see any wounds. She just collapsed, right after she cast a spell to heal me. I think she just used too much magic."

"I pray you are right. I do not want the blood of an innocent child on my hands. " Cecil took a few sips from a water flask before handing it to Terra. "According to the map I purchased in Kaipo, we are about halfway through the cavern. We should reach Damcyan tomorrow. Let us get some rest. I'll take first watch."

"All right." Terra washed down the second biscuit with a gulp of water and lay down on his left side so he could keep an eye on Cecil. Terra wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight, he knew that. Cecil had admitted to murdering innocent people. The armour he wore brought out the darkness in his heart. It bothered Terra that he couldn't trust Cecil, who seemed like an honourable man most of the time, but Terra would have to be on his guard both for his own sake and for Rydia's.

Cecil lowered his head and let out a gentle sigh. "Rosa… please hold on," he murmured.

"We'll get the sandpearl," Terra said, sounding more confident than he felt.

"But will we find it in time? Every second I tarry here, Rosa crawls closer to death. The fault is all mine."

"She'll hold on, believe me. Rosa's a strong woman. I saw her in the desert. She walked until she couldn't take another step. And when she was on the verge of passing out, she still took down a monster with her bow. She'll do her job and hold out as long as she can. We have to do our job and bring her the sand pearl. Blaming yourself and worrying won't help anyone. Save your strength for tomorrow."

"You speak truly. You are much wiser than I was at your age."

"I don't know about that. But you need to believe in Rosa. She believes in you. The last thing she said was your name."

"She did?" Cecil looked anguished. "She has been a far better friend to me than I deserve. She had feelings for me, once upon a time. She wanted us to be married. But I was too busy for romance. I had dreams to fulfil, duties to uphold, adventures to seek. When I became a dark knight, I took a vow of chastity. A knight's first duty is to his king and his people. He has no time for a wife or children. I broke Rosa's heart, but she never stopped caring for me. After every campaign, she was there to tend my wounds and comfort me. She put my happiness before her own. And how have I repaid her?"

Terra didn't know what to say, so he said nothing.

"Now I wonder, did I make the right choice? I swore to serve my king, uphold the peace, and defend the weak. Instead I have become a murderer and a thief. I am a failure of a knight. Perhaps I should have wed Rosa instead. She might have made something better out of me."

"I think you're being too hard on yourself. Rosa stills believes in you. There must be a reason for that. And it's not too late for you and Rosa. If you don't want to be a knight any more, why don't you tell her once she's well again?"

"Perhaps I will. Perhaps I will. Terra, is there anyone waiting for you back at home?"

"Well… there is my master, Eraqus. And my friends Ventus and Aqua."

"And is there a special person that you care for?"

"Huh? Oh… uh, not really. Not in that way. I have things to do, training and stuff. I really want to be a Keybla - uh, a master of the weapon I'm using."

"So you are as I was. It is good to be focused, but we must not lose sight of the things that matter. I hope your journey is brighter than mine."

"Yeah. Well, it's not off to a great start."

"Oh?"

"I had an Exam today, to see if I had what it takes to be a master. I failed. I was looking forward to that moment for my entire life. Now I don't know what to do."

"Failure is an opportunity to grow. You must learn your weaknesses and eliminate them. Then try again."

"My weakness? My weakness is that the darkness has touched me. I don't know where it came from. What should I do? Should I try to eliminate it? Or should I accept the darkness and try to put its power to good use, like you said?" _Master Xehanort said that darkness could not be destroyed, only channelled. But that's not what Master Eraqus taught me._

"I wish I could answer that, my friend. That is a choice you will have to make for yourself."

"I guess so."

Silence fell. The torch burned low, the flame glowing redder as it ate through the last of the wood. Terra drew his blanket up to his chin and curled up against the cold. His eyelids drooped. He could see Cecil's shining black armour, glowering at him through the veil of his eyelashes. Somehow sleep overtook him.

_He was back in the Land of Departure, standing in the hall before Master Eraqus. Aqua faced him, keyblade in hand. His own keyblade was warm and heavy in his grip. Excitement filled him. Today was the day he would become a Keyblade Master, they day he'd dreamt of since he was a little boy. He knew he would defeat Aqua. He was stronger and faster than her. He'd sacrificed so much, spent every second of every day training to be the best, never resting for an instant. He knew he was more driven and determined than Aqua. He hoped that she'd show the Mark of Mastery too, but if only one of them passed today, he knew it would be him._

_He knew Aqua's fighting style. Her movements flowed and swirled with the power and grace of ocean waves. Terra wouldn't let her entrap him. He would strike, hard and deadly as rock. He took a deep breath. _

_Time slowed down. Everything faded away but the weight of the keyblade in his hand, the sight of Aqua. A deep stillness settled in his chest and spread through his body. His thoughts were swept away, leaving him clean and pure, full of a tingling energy. No room for doubts now, just action and reaction._

_The fight began._

_Aqua blasted towards him like an exploding geyser. At the same time, he rushed towards her with the force of an erupting volcano. In the centre of the hall their keyblades met with the sound of a thunderclap, the impact sending out shockwaves that knocked each of them back and shook the earth. Terra flipped himself back onto his feet and – _

_Aqua's keyblade was flying straight at his face –_

What?

_He leapt back just in time, the tip of Aqua's keyblade slicing off a strand of his hair as it fell. He counterattacked with one, two, three brute swings, but each time Aqua neatly cartwheeled to one side. He blocked one of her strokes and moved to block another, but it was a feint. Somehow she popped up behind him and almost hit him in the back. He barely parried the blow._

_Doubt crept into his heart._

She's… beating me. How? How? I trained for this much harder than she did! This is my moment! It's not fair!

_He struck back viciously, but she danced nimbly out of the way. She whirled around him, her strokes liquid and steady, like the tides lapping the shores of an island. Nothing he did could touch her._

How is this possible? How is this happening?

_Aqua had said, "There are some kinds of power you just don't understand. Until you do, you will never be a Keyblade Master." Was that it? Did she know something he didn't? A secret she wouldn't share with him… and now he was being humiliated in front of Master Eraqus._

_Anger and shame flared inside him, bringing a fresh surge of power._

No! _He clamped down on it. The power that came from anger and fear was a two-edged sword. It did as much damage to the attacker as to the target. How many times had Master Eraqus warned him against it?_

_Aqua pressed her attack, forcing him back. He was off balance now, no longer in that space where his body and mind worked in perfect harmony. His movements were slow, sluggish. He could barely block Aqua's assaults. Confusion boiled inside him. The effort of resisting anger was too much to bear. He had to give in. He had to give in to it. It was either that or lose. And he could not lose this fight. He had to win, whatever the cost._

_Warm. He felt warm and reenergised. His exhaustion and doubt faded away, yielding to clarity and sharp focus. He felt invincible, safe and above all, powerful._

_He looked down and saw that his body was encased in shining black armour. Something about it bothered him. It didn't belong here, didn't really make sense. But another part of him was glad that his heart had brought forth this new weapon to aid him._

_He looked up at Aqua. She must have seen the fresh strength in his eyes because she stepped back, a look of fear spreading across her face. He smiled. An unknown force possessed his limbs, making him walk towards her. She aimed a blow at him, but he caught her keyblade in his left hand. Yanking it out of her grasp, he snapped it in two and tossed it aside. What had he been afraid of? It was easy, so easy. Aqua didn't know anything. She was weak. He'd show her._

_She turned to run, but he caught her by the neck and threw her to the ground._

_"I surrender!" she shouted._

_"You think you're a greater Keyblade Master than me? I understand power. You don't." _

_She screamed as the dark sword slid into her chest. It came out smeared with red blood._

_"Terra!" Eraqus stood before him. "You failed to show the Mark of Mastery. You will never be a Keyblade Master."_

_"I've had enough of you, old man. Who are you to judge me? Darkness cannot be destroyed. My darkness makes me more powerful than you. That's why you fear it." The dark sword sang out again, and now it was Eraqus crumpled across the floor in a spreading pool of crimson._

_"Well done, Terra!" Xehanort's gravelly voice rang out. He sat in Eraqus' chair, a masked boy beside him. "Eraqus couldn't see your potential, but I could. I knew you were a true Master." _

_The masked boy removed his helmet. The face beneath was Ventus', but it was different. That sweet, innocent quality was gone, replaced by something harder, crueller. "I'm just like you now, Terra. I'm just like you." _

Terra woke yelling. "VEN! AQUA! MASTER ERAQUS!" He was somewhere dark and cold, but his body was burning and sweat was dripping down his face.

"Terra!" Someone crouched beside him. A man with long white-blond hair. Cecil.

"Get away from me!" Terra screamed. "Get that damn armour away from me!"


	5. Tellah, the Sage of Kaipo

**Chapter V:** Tellah, the Sage of Kaipo

It took Terra several minutes to gather himself. Gradually his breathing slowed and his heart stopped pounding in his chest. He raised his head from where he'd lowered it against a wall, his forehead pressed against the cool, moist rock. Cecil was seated several feet away, leaning against the far wall, watching him warily.

Before Terra could speak, a dim light flickered among the twists of the cavern and quick footsteps rang out. Cecil rose to his feet and unsheathed his sword.

"Something comes," he said, his face pinched.

The footsteps grew louder. Around the corner of a rocky passage came an old man, tall, with a staff in his right hand. His back was very straight and he carried himself proudly. Snowy white hair sat on his head and poured from his chin, while a pair of glasses with thick lenses covered his eyes. Amulets hung around his neck and an eerie light shone from the tip of his staff.

"So!" he boomed. "You two are responsible for making all this noise." He stopped and seemed to notice Rydia. "What's the matter with this girl?"

"She cast a spell and fell into a faint," said Cecil. "Who are you, sir?"

"I am Tellah, Sage of Kaipo. Lower your sword, I'm no threat to you." He gave Cecil an appraising look. "So you travel with a magician, albeit a young one. And I see that you are equipped with a dark sword. And this young man," Tellah turned to Terra, "I sense has great power within him also. Perhaps you can be of assistance to me."

_Sage Tellah. _Terra had heard that name before, somewhere.

"How so?" Cecil asked, sheathing his sword.

"My foolish daughter has run off to Damcyan with a worthless bard. I wish to find her and make her return to her senses. Passage through the underwater cavern is blocked by a vicious beast, resistant to magic. I cannot overcome it on my own."

"I remember where I've heard your name," Terra said. His voice was hoarse, barely audible. "The innkeeper in Kaipo mentioned you. Said that even you can't cure desert fever without sand pearls."

"Is one of your companions afflicted with desert fever? No doubt that is why you are here. You seek the sand pearl. It appears that we tread the same path, for now."

"What are you suggesting, sir?" asked Cecil.

"We both seek passage through this cavern. Let us work together to vanquish the monster: your power and my magic."

Cecil looked at Terra. "I have no objection."

Terra slowly nodded. "Makes sense to me."

"Then let us be off," Sage Tellah said. "Dawn broke two hours ago and the monsters in this cavern are aslumber."

"But Rydia hasn't woken up," said Terra, looking at the little girl where she lay on her side, her face peaceful. _Obviously her dreams are better than mine._

"Hmm. Perhaps I can do something about that." Tellah made his way to Rydia's side, his amulets and rings clinking, and knelt beside her. He peered closely at her face and prodded her a few times. "As I suspected. You say she fainted after performing magic? I have seen this before, especially in the young. It is mage's fatigue. When too much magical energy is expended the body shuts down to recover its strength. I will restore her." Tellah passed his right hand over Rydia's head a few times, murmuring. Then he laid his wrinkled palm against her smooth forehead. "This will take several minutes. Pack your belongings."

Terra was glad for the chance to do something physical, to take his mind off the nightmare. He pushed himself away from the wall, steadied himself and began rolling up his sleeping mat. To his embarrassment, his hands trembled, and he clenched the mat tightly to stop them. When Cecil approached, Terra turned away.

"Are you all right?" Cecil asked quietly.

"Fine."

"I'm sorry if -,"

"I don't want to talk about it," Terra snapped. He stuffed the mat into Cecil's pack, along with the water flask. Then he kicked sand over the ashes that lay where the torch had burned.

"Are you able to fight?"

"I will be if you keep that damn armour away from me."

"Terra, you only touched my armour once. Whatever darkness plagues you, it was inside you before we met. The armour only awakened it."

Terra rounded on Cecil. "Are you saying it's my fault? Well, you're wrong. I've never had a dream like that before."

"I'm not blaming you, my friend. I'm trying to help you." Cecil placed a hand on Terra's shoulder, but Terra shrugged it off. "Listen to me. It took me a long time to accept that I had darkness within my heart. Don't flee from the darkness. You can fight it, or embrace it, but don't flee from it. So long as you fear the darkness it has power over you."

_He's wrong. I would never hurt Master Eraqus or my friends. That dream didn't come from me. _But what about the Exam? The darkness had appeared there, and he hadn't even met Cecil yet. _Not the armour, then. Somewhere else. Anywhere else. I'll find out who sent the darkness, and when I do, I'll destroy them._

"Forgive me," Terra growled, "but I'm not sure I should be taking advice from a murderer." The words hit home, and Terra instantly regretted saying them when he saw the pain in Cecil's eyes.

Sage Tellah cleared his throat. "Ahem. If I may intrude on your quarrel, your young companion is awakening." Sage Tellah drew back and allowed the two younger men to hurry to Rydia's side. The girl stirred, her eyes blinking open. There was a strange expression on her face, faraway and kind of empty.

"Terra," she said.

"I'm here," Terra said, resting a hand on her arm. "Don't worry. You're safe now. Cecil's here, too." He helped Rydia to sit up, surprised at how she hardly weighed a thing. She rubbed her eyes and looked around, her expression dazed, her green hair rumpled.

"I had a dream. I thought Mummy was with me. What… happened? Where are we?" Her eyes travelled from Terra to Cecil before lingering on Sage Tellah, who stood to the side, leaning on his staff.

"You used too much of your magic against the sandworm," Terra explained. "You killed it, but it left you exhausted. We're in the underwater cavern now."

Sage Tellah cleared his throat. "Nothing to worry about, young lady. Mage's fatigue is a common complaint. You will gain better control over your magic soon enough. Try and stand up, now. You should be able to move. The sooner we get through this cavern, the better."

After getting Rydia back on her feet and making proper introductions, they resumed their trek, Terra and Cecil shouldering the heavy packs once more. Sage Tellah led the way, the light shining from his staff illuminating every rocky bump and pool of water, his robes rustling as he glided along, his footing surprisingly deft for such an old man. Rydia followed him, then Terra and finally Cecil.

"I sense mighty magic within you, young lady," Sage Tellah said. "Where are you from? Has anyone trained you?"

"I come from Mist. Mummy taught me a bit of magic."

"I see. So you are a Summoner. A rare gift. You must be proud."

"I wish I wasn't a Summoner. Then Mummy would still be alive. And all the others."

"What do you mean?"

"The Summoners of Mist are dead," Cecil said in a low voice. "Slain by my hand, on the orders of King Baron. Rydia is the last of her kind. She has no home."

Sage Tellah came to halt and bowed his head. When he raised it, he seemed worn out and even older. "Heaven have mercy," he said. "An entire people annihilated. I visited Mist once, in my youth." He gave Rydia a grim look. "My girl, I am so sorry. If I could say anything to lessen your pain, I would. But words are powerless to stem the tide of grief."

"Why are you sorry?" asked Rydia. "It wasn't your fault."

"Oh, but it was. We failed you young ones. The world was given into our trust. Had we taken better care of it, we could have passed the promise of a better life onto you. Instead we have made your inheritance one of broken dreams." Sage Tellah shook his head. "We must press on. There is a time and place to grieve for the past, but this is not it." He began moving again. "My girl, you must never wish you were not a Summoner. Magic is not to blame for what has befallen you. Magic is a tool, like the technology of the airships. We can choose to use it for good or evil. You have a power and you may achieve great things with it. Don't throw that away."

"I would give my power up to have Mummy back."

"The skills of your mother, of your entire people, live on in you. The greatest honour you can do for their memory is to embrace their gift."

They walked on in silence, their path winding as it descended into gloom. The tunnels were rough grey stone, studded with minerals that glittered like diamond. There was a damp, musty smell. Terra noticed a dull roaring sound growing louder and louder, reverberating through the rocky walls.

"Are those falls?" he asked.

"Yes," replied Sage Tellah. "The underground waterfalls. They are fed by streams high on the mountains. The water flows hundreds of miles under the open sky before entering the earth and rushing to the secret places in the heart of the hills. It is there that Octomammoth makes his lair."

"Octomammoth?"

"The beast that guards the exit. It is a sea monster of the kraken kind. Such creatures are generally found in the deep ocean, but somehow this one came to dwell under the mountain. I believe it was brought here as an egg. Confined by stone walls, it has not grown as huge as its wild cousins, but it will be big enough to give us a challenge."

"Perfect," said Terra. "Giant worms and giant squid. This would be a great place for a vacation."

"You jest, but this was once a wild, beautiful country. It always had its dangers, but now the balance is shifting toward chaos. The monsters are multiplying and becoming aggressive. Some evil force is working on our world."

Their feet crunched over the gravelly floor as they sank ever deeper into the bowels of the mountain. Slimy water dripped from the walls.

"Have you seen the Octomammoth?" Rydia asked.

"I have not. I have heard the tales of travellers, and by investigating these caves, I was able to discover some facts about it. For instance, it is vulnerable to lightning like all water beasts, but it is resistant to magic."

"How did you learn that?" asked Cecil.

"I will show you shortly, although you may not like what you see."

The tunnel sloped downward and opened into an enormous chamber. The sound of the falls was much clearer now, thundering like enormous drums. The chamber's floor was made up of about a dozen rocky islands separated by deep channels of black water, connected by thin sandy bridges. The walls of the chamber were stone, but they looked almost alive. The water had sculpted them into eerie shapes: jagged teeth, bulging eyes, swirling curtains.

"We cross this cave and enter the final chamber," Sage Tellah said, his voice echoing disconcertingly. "There Octomammoth awaits us. And beyond that, Damcyan. Now, see here." Sage Tellah guided them to an island where the sand had been partially dug up. The circle of light cast by his staff slid across the ground and revealed a human skull grinning among a jumble of pale bones. Rydia made a sickened noise and took a few steps back.

"Remains of Octomammoth's victims," said Sage Tellah. With the butt of his staff, he poked among the bones. With a clinking sound, something shiny and metallic glinted in the light. "Magical amulets. Some of these victims were wizards, rather powerful ones. These amulets were used to channel lightning magic, not that it did them much good. This is how I know Octomammoth is resistant to spells. There are knights here, too. These bodies were smashed by something huge and heavy, I would wager Octomammoth's arms. The most recent remains are just a few months old."

"You can tell all that just by looking at the bones?" Terra asked.

"Young man, they don't call me a sage for nothing."

"Troubling," Cecil said.

"Indeed. We shall need a plan of attack to overcome this fiend. The danger lies in its eight arms. Octomammoth will try to ensnare us or crush us with them. If we can withstand the attack long enough to sever its arms, we can render the beast helpless. I suggest that I cast lightning spells from a distance while you and Terra focus on crippling its limbs."

"What about Rydia?" Terra asked.

"Surely you don't expect her to take part in the battle?"

"What's the alternative? Leaving her alone in this cave to be picked off by a monster? I'm not a hundred percent happy about having such a young girl in the fight, but her magic could turn the tide in our favour."

Sage Tellah plucked at his beard. "What you say has merit. However… Sir Cecil, what do you say?"

Cecil flinched. "It's just Cecil, sir. I do not think Rydia should fight."

"One for, one against and one undecided," Sage Tellah observed.

"What about me?" said Rydia. "Isn't anyone going to ask me what I think?" She stood away from the bones, on the edge of their little island, her back to the black water.

"Sorry, my dear," Sage Tellah said, turning towards her. "What do you wish to do?"

Rydia crossed her arms and opened her mouth to speak.

_WHOOSH!_

It happened in an instant. The water behind Rydia exploded in a torrent of white foam. Huge white teeth shone in the light and Rydia vanished, leaving no trace but the surging, rippling surface of the stream.

"Rydia!" shouted Cecil.

"A cave gator!" cried Sage Tellah.

Terra didn't have time to hear anything else. He had reached the edge of the island and a moment later he plunged headfirst into the freezing water.

Instantly he realised he'd made a mistake. There was no light down here. He was blind. Icy blackness surrounded him like a vice, squeezing his lungs. With a few powerful strokes, he drove himself deeper into the blackness, but it was no use. In the dark he'd never find Rydia.

Suddenly, brilliant light flared and the water opened around Terra. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of green hair drifting like seaweed. _Rydia. _At the same moment he saw the gator, a shapeless black mass, and powered towards it. _What am I going to do when I reach Rydia? I can't fight underwater. _Though he swam at top speed, the gator – and Rydia – were rapidly sinking out of sight. There was no way he would catch them at this rate. And Rydia – damn it, let her be all right. There was only one thing he could do.

He drew back his keyblade and hurled it away from him. It scythed through the water, spinning gracefully. A halo of golden light shone around it, crackling into bolts of yellow lightning. The keyblade blazed as it grew, twisting, shifting, transforming. In a few seconds it had become a keyblade glider in the form of a cycle. Terra grabbed the handles of the glider as it shot back towards him, swinging himself onto the seat. He steered the glider towards the gator, ignoring his lungs as they cried out for oxygen. Aiming at the gator's body, he hit the throttle as hard as he could.

_Vroooom._

The glider growled as it sped towards its target, trembling with the force of its acceleration. Terra leaned low over the handlebars, but still he barely managed to hang on as the water rushed past him. The gator doubled in size, once, twice. Terra was close enough now to make out its long, dark, armour-scaled body, and Rydia held in its jaws. Anger surged through him as he nudged the glider's nose, training it on the gator's belly, well away from Rydia.

_Smash._

It was like hitting a brick wall. The force of the collision almost threw Terra from his seat. The glider span away, but Terra knew his ride well, and by squeezing the brakes and accelerator in carefully controlled bursts he was able to stop the glider almost instantly. With satisfaction, he saw the gator's dark form tumbling away, but the sight of Rydia's body drifting motionless in the water killed any excitement he might feel. He scooped the girl up and urged the glider towards the surface, praying that he wasn't too late. He didn't know how much damage the gator had done to her. _Come on, Rydia. You're a tough little kid. You'll be OK. You have to be._

They broke the water's surface, Terra turning the glider and bringing it to a screeching halt on the island where Cecil stood with his sword raised, scanning the water. Sage Tellah had thrust his staff into the black stream; no doubt it was he who had lit up the water with his magic. On seeing Terra, they rushed towards him. Terra gently lowered Rydia to the ground. She was drenched, freezing and very pale. Terra felt her right wrist. Relief rushed through him.

"She's got a pulse," he said. It was faint, but there. Then he found, to his dismay, that she wasn't breathing. He saw too that her left arm was mangled, and huge chunks of flesh were missing from her left side.

"Stand aside, stand aside!" snapped Sage Tellah, and Terra did so. The old man knelt beside Rydia and began muttering feverishly under his breath. He placed a hand on her chest. A few moments later Rydia's body spasmed and she vomited up a stream of water. Her little chest rose and fell; breathing had been restored. Then Sage Tellah stroked her left side and the torn flesh closed and refilled itself like a ripening fruit. In a few seconds there was nothing left of the wounds but a long, angry red stripe on the skin. Finally, the old man turned to Rydia's arm.

It was then that the cave gator reappeared. It surged out of the water and stood on the bank with its jaws open, its tail lashing from side to side.

"You look after Rydia," Terra told the old man. "We'll deal with this." He stood and faced the gator.

"Hyuh!" Cecil charged, his dark sword singing through the air. The blade fell like a thunderbolt on the gator's neck, slicing through scale, muscle and bone. The gator's head came off and rolled a few times. Blood spurted from its neck and its body jerked before going still.

"Or… we could do it that way," Terra said. He turned back to Sage Tellah. "How is she?"

"I have healed her injuries. She will be rather sore, but no more. I put her into a sleep so she would not wake and feel the pain." Sage Tellah shook his head. "My fault. I should have been more alert. Of course not all the beasts would be aslumber."

"We should have all been more alert," said Cecil. "The beast is done now."

"Yes," said Sage Tellah. "Thanks to Terra and his remarkable vehicle, the girl is safe. As for that cave gator, it should have left us alone after Terra retrieved Rydia. They prefer easier prey to meat that fights back. But it came after us. Unusual behaviour. You see, the monsters have become aggressive, as I said. Now, before I wake Rydia, let us decide what to do." He rose to his feet. "Terra, your vehicle has the power of flight. You will have to take Rydia to Damcyan."

Terra frowned. "What about you and Cecil?"

"We will distract Octomammoth and move him from the falls so you and Rydia may exit the cavern."

"I don't think so. I'm not leaving you and Cecil to fight this thing on your own."

"Do not worry about us. We are both older than you, and I dare say we have survived more battles than you have."

"Cecil's in his armour. What if the monster knocks him underwater? And, no offence, sir, but you're not as young as you used to be. You need me."

"Rydia needs you more. I was undecided, but after this incident I agree with Cecil."

"He speaks truly, Terra." Cecil gave Terra a sympathetic look. "I am grateful for your concern, but our priority should be getting Rydia to a safe place."

Terra looked from the old man to the dark knight. He didn't like leaving them to face the beast, but he knew it would be useless to argue.

"All right," he said. "I'll get Rydia out, but once she's safe I'm coming straight back."

Sage Tellah undid his spell, rousing the little girl from her sleep. She trembled and hugged herself, beginning to cry. Terra carried her to his glider, setting her in front of him so he could hold onto the handles with one arm on either side of her.

"I was scared," she whispered. "It hurt so much… I couldn't breathe, I couldn't do magic… I thought I was going to drown."

"Don't worry," Terra said in a soothing voice, "I'd never let you drown. We're getting out of here now. You've had more than enough excitement for one day. Just relax. I promise I'll keep you safe."

"Mummy said that. So did Cecil." Rydia's eyes were dark. Terra patted her awkwardly on the back, wishing Aqua or Ventus were here. They got along with people better than he did.

Cecil and Sage Tellah led the way into the next chamber, Rydia and Terra trailing behind on the glider. This cave was even larger than the one they'd just left behind, so vast it was as though they'd stepped out into an alien world. Instead of blue sky above there was only impenetrable blackness, untouched by the pool of light cast by Sage Tellah's staff. The familiar grey rock floor was underfoot, but at the other end of the cave was an incredible sight: a huge wall of water. These were the underwater falls. They fell in sheer curtains of liquid like a vertical sea, crashing with a sound like thunder, driving into the lake, churning the water into boiling white foam, throwing up a thick cloud of spray. They were beautiful in the yellow staff-light. They must have been huge, but only a few silver columns of water were visible. The rest of them were shrouded in darkness, though they made their presence felt by shaking the cave with the sheer force of their passing.

"The monster sleeps under the falls!" Sage Tellah yelled. He had to shout at the top of his lungs to make himself heard. "Be ready, Terra! We will awaken it! When it moves, you may pass through the falls!"

Terra tapped a pedal, sending the keyblade glider drifting higher into the air.

"Be you ready, Sir Cecil?"

Cecil nodded and lowered his helm.

Sage Tellah planted his staff on the ground. The light shining from its head intensified. A crackling bolt of electricity erupted and arced into the falls, lighting the cave up for an instant.

At first there was no sound. Then a low rumbling, deeper than the music of the waterfalls, began. The floor of the cavern began to quiver, then shake violently.

_Sploosh!_

Something burst from the curtains of the falls, and reared in the dimness. It looked like a tremendous, impossibly long sea serpent.

_Sploosh! Sploosh! _

More of them! Two, three, four, six, eight! The cavern was filled with twisting, writhing, sinuous forms. But these were not sea serpents. They were the arms of the beast. And now its head rose like an island emerging from the sea, pointed like a mountain. Two huge orbs glowing like moons filled the chamber with unearthly light.

"It comes!" cried Sage Tellah. "Octomammoth!"

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks to those who left their kind and encouraging reviews. I wish I could update and reply sooner but I have a lot of work to do and not much time to spend on my many stories. Updates will probably be very slow so please have patience.


End file.
